Arbitrary arrest and confiscation of material of Mr. Wael Abbas

July 1, 2009

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), expresses its deepest concern regarding the following situation in Egypt.

Description of the situation:

The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources of the arbitrary arrest and confiscation of material of Mr. Wael Abbas, a prominent blogger who has recently denounced acts of torture and ill-treatment by the Egyptian authorities in various detention centres.

According to the information received, on June 30, 2009, Mr. Abbas was held by the customs authorities in Cairo international airport for ten hours without due justification, as he was returning from the Tällberg Forum 2009 in Sweden, on the theme “how on earth can we live together?”[1].

Mr. Abbas’ laptop was confiscated before he was released. He subsequently lodged a complaint with the Nozha police station alleging that he was held with no legal reason, that he was searched in a disrespectful manner and that the police had no right to confiscate his personal property.

The Observatory denounces Mr. Abbas' unjustified detention as well as the unjustified confiscation of his belongings, and fears that it might be related to the fact that Mr. Abbas recently posted scandalous videos of police officials involved in brutal acts of torture in various detention centres on his blog (misrdigital.blogspot.com), as well as on the Youtube channel (which was shut down and then reopened), two websites widely accessible to the public opinion.

The Observatory also fears that the material on Mr. Abbas' laptop computer might be used and manipulated to create a case against him, as occurred with other journalists and activists, thus further curtailing freedom of expression and legitimate human rights activities in Egypt.

Actions requested:

Please write to the authorities of Egypt, urging them to:

1. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Wael Abbas and all human rights defenders in Egypt;
2. Return immediately and unconditionally Mr. Abbas Wael's personal property as the confiscation is ill-founded since it only aims at sanctioning his human rights activities;
3. Put an end to any kind of harassment, including judicial, against Mr. Abbas Wael as well as against all human rights defenders in Egypt, and ensure in all circumstances that they be able to carry out their human rights activities without hindrances;
4. Comply with all the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, in particular with Article 1, which provides that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”, as well as with Article 12.2 (“the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration”);
5. Comply with Article 12(4) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that Egypt has ratified, and which provides that no one should be arbitrarily deprived the right to enter his own country;
6. More generally, ensure in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with international and regional human rights instruments ratified by Egypt.

Addresses

• President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, His Excellency Mohammad Hosni Mubarak, Abedine Palace, Cairo, Egypt, E-mail: webmaster@presidency.gov.eg, Fax: +202 390 1998
• Prime Minister Mr. Ahmed Mahmoud Mohamed Nazif, Magles El Shaab Street, Kasr El Aini Street, Cairo, Egypt. Fax: + 202 735 6449 / 7958016. Email: primemin@idsc.gov.eg
• Minister of the Interior, General Habib Ibrahim Habib El Adly, Ministry of the Interior, El-Sheikh Rihan Street, Bab al-Louk, Cairo, Egypt, E-mail: moi1@idsc.gov.eg, Fax: +202 579 2031 / 794 5529
• Minister of Justice, Mr. Mamdoh Mohie E-din Marie, Ministry of Justice, Magles El Saeb Street, Wezaret Al Adl, Cairo, Egypt, E-mail: mojeb@idsc.gov.eg, Fax: +202 795 8103
• Public Prosecutor, Counsellor Maher Abd al-Wahid, Dar al-Qadha al-Ali, Ramses Street, Cairo, Egypt, Fax: +202 577 4716
• National Council For Human Rights, Fax: + 202 5747497 / 5747670
• Ambassador Sameh Shoukry, Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations in Geneva, 49 avenue Blanc, 1202 Genève, Switzerland, Email: mission.egypt@ties.itu.int, Fax: +41 22 738 44 15
• Embassy of Egypt in Brussels, 19 avenue de l’Uruguay, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, Fax: + 32 2 675.58.88; Email: embassy.egypt@skynet.be

Please also write to the diplomatic missions or embassies of Egypt in your respective country.

Geneva-Paris, July 1, 2009

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

The Observatory, a FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need. The Observatory was the winner of the 1998 Human Rights Prize of the French Republic.

To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
Tel and fax OMCT + 41 22 809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29

Tel and fax FIDH + 33 1 43 55 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80

[1] In the framework of the conference, participants searched for the underlying causes of the global crisis, and started the process of envisioning ways out of it. They tackled the overarching question “How on earth can we live together, within the planetary boundaries?”.